Improvement in machines for making cartridges



HORSTMANN & 'BEHRENS.

Making Cartridges.

Patented Sept. 15, 186.3.

r r n W Z N. PHERS, PHOTOMTMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTbN. D. C.

Win 2 s to be formed.

lhvrrnn STATES Arena tries.

W'M. H. lIOR-SllllANh AND HENRY J. BEHRENS, OF XEV YORK, X. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN MACHINES FOR MAKING CARTRIDGES.

Specification forming partol' Letters Patent NO. 39,923, dated September 15, L863; antedated March 24, 1862.

To all 1071 0771, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, \VILLIAM H. Hons'r- MANN and HENRY J. Bnrrnnns, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Combinations of Machinery for the Manufacture of Cartridges for Fire-Arms; and we do hereby describe and ascertain the same, referring to the acco1npanying drawings for illustrations thereof, in which Figure 1 represents a front view of our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Similar letters in both views indicate corresponding parts.

Our improvement consists in forming balleartridges of paper and other suitable material by automatic machinery, so as to form the cartridge, insert the ball, and fasten it by cord, as is done in handmade cartridges.

The construction of the machinery is as follows:

e place a hollow mandrel, A, in a vertical position in proper bearings therefor, so that its lower end shall project beyond the bearings suitieient for the length of cartridge This mandrel revolves by means of the driving-power in any convenient way, and the portion that receives the paper should be roughened on its surface, to insure the proper winding on of the paper. Parallel with this mandrel, at the point where the paper is inserted, there is a roller, B, or other suitable device, which is brought into contact with the mandrel at the proper time to carry forward the paper, which presses the paper against the mandrel and insures its being drawn in. Around the mandrel, and exterior thereto, there is a tubular guide, 0, that causes the paper to wrap around the mandrel. The paper is fed in by hand into the position shown at D, and at the proper instant for feeding it forward the arm 1*] is brought into contact with its outer edge, and forces it forward to the exact point where it is to be seized by the mandrel A. The cord shown by red lines in the draw ings is first passed through a tension apparatus, F, of any convenient description, whence it passes through an eye in the end of the horizontal arm of the bent lever G, which forms the cord carrier or guide,-by which the position of the cord relative to the mandrel is determined. The other arm of this bent lever extends up to a cam, G, by which the proper motions are given to the cord-carrier, On the side of the horizontal arm of the cold-carrier Gr there is a finger, G", which, when the cord is out off, as hereinafter described, lies with its outer end against the said arm. Through this outer end there is a hole, and it is thickened into the form of a short tube or nipple on the face toward the mandrel. Through this nipple the cord passes, and, as the cord is about to be inserted, the end of the finger is projected toward the mandrel, so as to in sure the insertion of the end of the cord be tween the mandrel and the paper about to be wound thereon. This insertion is made just before the roller 13 presses the paper against the mandrel, and at that point of time the arm of the guide G is at a point of elevation about one-fourth of an inch (more or less) above the lower end of the mandrel. In this position of the parts it will be seen that when the roller B presses the paper against the mandrel it will also grip the cord, which will thereby be drawn in and wound around the mandrel with the paper. At the same time the guide G de seends, so as to bring the cord, when it projeets beyond the edge of the paper, down to the lower end of the mandrel, the paper extending an inch (more or less) below this point, to receive the ball, as will be presently described. The cord, by the continued revolutions of the mandrel, is wound twice (more or less) around the outside of the tube of paper thus formed.

Below the mandrel, and in the line with its axis, there is a piston, H, insuitable bearings, so that it can rise and fall at proper intervals. This piston His cup-formed at its upper end, to receive aball, that is conveyed to it by tube or trough H when the piston is at its lowest point. As the paper tube is formed, the piston H rises, conveying the ball up into its lower end until it touches the mandrel and holds it until the upper turns of the cord I around the paper just described are completed.

The guide G then descends, so as to convey the cord down below the ball, and the mandrel still revolving,the cord is wound tightly around the paper tubes below the ball, contracting it around the ball, as is done in hand-made cartridges. After the cord has been wound a powder and completed.

sufficient number of turns at that point by the continuous revolution of the mandrel, it is cut off by a knife, hereinafter described, and the cartridge-case is completed. The end of this cord may be fastened by pasting or tying, or left without either in ordinary eases. case is then thrown off of the mandrel by means of a small ramrod, A, which passes down through it,.and is driven down by its connection with the piston H. As the cartridge-case is thrown down from the mandrel, a guiding trough, K, has its upper end brought under it, so as to catch it, by which it is guided down clear of the piston H into an endless-railway conveyer, that takes it to the machinery by which it is charged with The knife for cutting the cord is of a curved form, as shown atI. This knife is placed on a shaft that is vibrated by means of a small pinion geared intoa rack, I, that takes its motion from the cam I. That portion of the knife which first comes into contact with the cord between the nipple on finger G and the mandrel A has a blunt or dull edge, which draws out the cord some distance beyond the nipple into a loop, at which the loop is brought into contact with a portion of the edge of the knife that is sharpened, and the cord is thereby severed, leaving the end thereof projecting beyond the nipple a sufficient distance to be inserted between the mandrel and the paper for the next cartridge to be formed. This loose end of the cord would have no particular direction but for the lateral motion of the finger G,hereinbefore named, which advances forward toward the mandrel and insures the insertion of the end of the cord in the place between the mandrel and the paper, as before named, the knife having previously fallen back after severing the cord. Between the tension apparatus through which the cord passes and the cord-carrier G, into which it is inserted, it passes through a finger, arm, or other apparatus for taking up and giving out slack as it is needed. \Vhen the end of the cord is first inserted and drawn in by the mandrel, it should be slack; but as it is wound around and projects beyond the edge of the paper that slack is taken up by the finger G and the tension brought to bear upon the cord, so as to wind it around the paper tube sufficiently tight in the after revolutions. As the cord is cut, the slack is again loosened for the next operation.

The motions of the piston and other parts of the apparatus are taken in any convenient way from the driving-power. \Ve have shown in the drawings a convenient mode of doing this without, however, intending to confine ourselves strictly thereto. The mandrel is re volved by a band from the driving-power. 011 its exterior surface between its bearings there is a worm that gears into a pinion on a hori' zontal shaft, L. This shaft is made to perform one revolution while the mandrel is turning a sufficient number of times-to complete the cartridge. On one end of this shaft L there is a The ] crank-arm, the wrist of which is connected with the piston H by means of a connectingrod, M. The ramrod A being connected with the piston H by means of a slight bar, N, they both rise and fall with every revolution of the shaft L. On this slight bar N there is a friction-roller, ,O, that strikes an inclined plane on the bearings of the roller B and forces it back free from the mandrel. At the time the paper is inserted the roller 13 is made to bear against the mandrel by a spring when freed from contact with roller 0. On shaftL is placed the cam G, by which the various motions are given to the cord-carrier G; and on the shaft is the cam I, that actuates the knife I. A small cam, E, on shaft L gives motion to the arm E, by which the paper is fed forward. Motion is given to finger G by a stationery inclined plane, 1?, against which it strikes as the horizontal arm of the cord-carrier rises.

Ve do not confine ourselves to the exact details herein described so long as the devices are substantially the same. Other wellknown devices may be used for presenting the paper properly to be seized by the mandrel instead of the arm E. apparatus well known to mechanicians for taking up the slack of the cord may be used which is suited to the machine. of tension apparatus sufficient for the purpose may be employed instead of the simple one shown in the drawings, which we have found suificient for practical results. The mandrel may be run in other positions than the verti cal one we have herein described without changing the character of the machine. The other parts can be adapted thereto by any good mechanician, but we prefer the position in which we have described it.

Having thus fully described our invention therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a mandrel, A, roller B or its equivalent, and guides G for feeding in, giving direction to, and forming the papercase, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with the mandrel, as above specified, attaching and winding the cord around the paper case, as described.

3. The finger G, for inserting the end of the cord to the mandrel.

g 4. In combination with the cartridge-machine, the knife I, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. 0

5. Drawing out the cord into aloop as it is severed, so as to have a projecting end to insert for the next operation, as described.

6. The employment of an apparatus to produce a slack and tension of the cord of a ma chine for making cartridge-cases,substantially as herein set forth.

7. A cord carrier or "guide by which the cord is kept in position to windproperly upon the paper tube or case, as specified.

and its mode of operation, what we claim Any variety of Any variety 8. The apparatus by which the balls are 1 conveyed toiand inserted in the paper case.

9. Discharging the paper case from the mandre], substantially as herein set forth.

10. The Vibrating trough K, for conveying the completed case away from the machine.

11. The vibrating pressing apparatus B, for holding the paper and cord to the mandrel while being conveyed to the machine.

12. Roughening the surface of the mandrel for the purpose of feeding the paper into the machine.

\VILLIAM H. HORSTMA'NN; HENRY J. BEHRENS.

XVitnesses:

ROBERT J. FnUscorT, JULIUs HENNES. 

